THE Government says the Canterbury area should be prepared to accept hundreds of more homes to help meet demand among first-time buyers.

Ministers want to push up house-building targets for Kent and the south east in a move that has dismayed environmental groups and many council chiefs.

Ministers have announced that the overall target for the region should increase by four per cent to help first-time buyers and to increase the availibility of affordable homes.

The Government’s call comes in its verdict on the South East Plan, a key planning blueprint that sets out how many homes should be built Kent and the south east between now and 2026.

For Canterbury, the new target rises to 510 homes per year, the equivalent of 10,200 across the district up to 2026.

That is a 41 per cent increase on the number first suggested in the original version of the South East Plan.